Cuifastraea, Melnikova, 1983

Roniewicz, Ewa, 2011, Early Norian (Triassic) corals from the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria, and the intra-Norian faunal turnover, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56 (2), pp. 401-428 : 420

Cuifastraea ? sp. 1 and sp. 2

Fig. 7C, D.

Material.—Two small fragments of colonies from organodetrital limestone GBA 2009/019/4 and 2009/019/13, with thin sections.

Measurements (in mm): Remarks.—The material consists of two small fragments of different colonies displaying thamnasterioid relationships between the corallites, thick−trabecular, compact septa covered laterally with eminent structures, the longitudinal sections of which resemble pennules or menianes. They differ from known Sevatian and Rhaetian species in the following features: Cuifastraea ? sp. 1 ( Fig. 7C) has very thick septa, not encountered earlier in the genus; Cuifastraea ? sp. 2 ( Fig. 7D) has pennules. The coalescence of of these pennules into menianes is unknown. Stratigraphic and geographic range.— Austria: Northern

Calcareous Alps, Dachstein Plateau, north of Feisterscharte, lower Norian, Epigondolella quadrata conodont Zone.